Chris, you would have received a much more positive response if you had avoided using phrases such as “something so trivial,” “some soulless, uncomprehending creature, and “the immaterial life of Kaos or any animal.” Insulting something I care about (animal welfare) – and assuming that is all I care about – hasn’t won you any fans or friends here.

I am in awe of the commenters on this post… so many well-spoken, intelligent, and compassionate people. Thank you so much for sharing in the conversation.

However, I believe the conversation has reached the end of its usefulness, therefore, we’re done.

Y’all come back now, y’hear?

Chris – I can’t speak for everyone but I would be more open and understanding of your view if you weren’t so demeaning towards the animal savers. If you didn’t belittle us for how we spend our time, our effort and our money. I can match you item to item for volunteer and charity work but I go above and beyond for animals. And one of my dogs is living proof of that. If you were more accepting and understanding of how most of us feel about dogs (or any animal), then maybe we’d be more willing to discuss with you. But when you come in here and spout that saving Kaos was wasted time/money/effort and that dogs are soulless, my own hackles will raise. I dare you look into my dogs’ eyes and tell me they are soulless. And who are you anyway to declare they don’t have souls? I believe *all* animals have souls but not all humans have souls.

And yes, I do care more for dogs. I have yet to meet a dog who has let me down, loved me conditionally,judged me, shunned me or betrayed me. As for your scenario, if I was in a sea on a boat and depending on who the other person was with me…99% of time I’d save the dog. Maybe that makes me inhuman, but I don’t care. I don’t feel that I’m superior to any animal just because some god along the line gave me the ability to walk upright.

I’m an animal lover. But I’m also an animal champion and that’s where you are much different from us. And I do it for the dogs, I do it in honor of my two dogs and all dogs that I have had the opportunity and pleasure to know and love.

“Blue–Well, first off, ouch. Second–it’s the mental trauma. All those years of football as a youth.

Third, ‘why I’m doing that here’: I read this blog; I like it; there’s a section set aside on it for comments from readers; I had a comment I wanted to share; I posted it in the comment section; and here we are.”

Blue and Chile–I don’t understand the bitter opposition on this board toward the view I’m espousing. There’s nothing radical about saying human are different from and superior to lower animals. It’s the basis of our civilization.

And, Chile, you seem plently articulate and thoughtful, and I don’t believe for a second that you care for dogs more than people. If you were stranded at sea in boat with a dog and another person, and one of you had to be sacrificed as sustenance for the other two, would you nominate the dog, the other person, or yourself?

Chile–I consider myself an animal lover, too. I have two shepherd dogs and five horses.

“When I observe an individual like you commit precious hours of their lives to something so trivial, commit money which could be used to advance human interests, I think it’s high time to take that individual aside and argue the point.”

Saving and helping dogs (or any animal) is not trivial. Not to me, not to Jenna, not to Jenna’s sister or Blaidd or Saigh or the thousands of people that all of us together know in the rescue/transporting world. There are enough people in this world that only care about humans and not animals. I’d rather spend my time and money on animals. And it is heroic. And damn important that there are people like us. I care a lot more for dogs than people.

We keep destroying this environment for our greed.
We are smart enough to know how to do it.
But if we keep doing this, eventually we all have to die with it.
Then what kind of great being are we?

We live in the wealthiest nation and its president is opposed to Kyoto protocol and said “It will hurt our economy and the Global warming is not scientific.”
We elected him twice.
Yeah, we are the great being.

On the other hand, the nature is designed for co-existing.
all animals know how to co-exit.
They do not consume others more than they need.
Yeah, we are the great being.

What we all really have to learn about is the human EGO like yours.

I simply wonder why you are doing that here.
Spending your time and energy to try to destroy animal-loving people’s value, idea and identity.
I say, usually this kind of behavior comes from his own stress, insecurity, some sort of mental trauma or sexual problems
(hehehe, last one is just a kidding).

After reading all these, I am more interested in that.

Blaidd–No, I have a real estate practice of my own down south. I did the corporate law thing in Virginia for a while, but it was the most boring thing I’d ever experienced. I was in merger and acquistions.

You’ve harmed your cause by coming here. You’ve certainly not made yourself look like the humanitarian you claim to be, and at this point, there’s no one out there who’d take you seriously. It’s unfortunate, because there are many causes this world could pay more attention to, but by trying to convince anyone that they should focus on one thing and only one thing, you’ve only managed to prove to those people that they should focus harder on the causes they fight for. If nothing else, I congratulate you for that. Animal rescue could use more help.